GETTYSBURG, Pa. - The Messiah wrestling team claimed their second straight tournament title to start the 2019-20 season. The Falcons 113.5 team points took down Gettysburg (79.5) and Alvernia (73.5) to take home the title.
Sean Redington (125),
Kevin Edwards (165), and
David Stevens (184) led the way for the Falcons, picking up individual titles in their weight classes. Five Falcons in
Jordan Howard (125),
Noah Thomas (133),
Garret Cornell (141),
Nick Nunez (149), and
Carter Urich (285) claimed runner-up honors in their respective brackets.
Jake Coniglio (149),
Hunter Rinehart (133), and
Kevin Diehl (174) rounded out the Falcons day with third place finishes. As mentioned, this win gives Messiah their second consecutive tournament victory to start the season, after winning the Messiah Invitational last weekend in Grantham. Messiah moves onto the Waynesburg duals next weekend on Nov. 16, beginning at 11:00 a.m.
All Messiah At 125
At 125, the Falcons had a pair of top performers.
Sean Redington took home first place while
Jordan Howard came in second place. After a bye to move into the top eight, Redington and Howard both found their way past their opponents to move into the final four. Redington picked up a pin over Louis LaRocca (Alvernia) while Howard had a dominant 16-0 technical fall over Shehzan Dahya (McDaniel).
The two of them picked up decision victories in the semifinals with Redington winning 4-2 over Nicholas Roeger (Castleton) and Howard claiming a 4-3 win over Kyle Kaluhiokalani (Castleton). This set up an all Messiah battle in the 125 finals with Redington ultimately picking up a 15-0 technical fall victory over Howard. This was Redington's first individual title of the season after being runner-up last weekend. Howard is one of the most improved wrestlers on this year's squad and had another good showing after placing fourth in last week's bracket.
Consistent Success
Messiah had strong showings at 133 as well, with
Noah Thomas advancing to the finals and
Hunter Rinehart earning third place for the Falcons. After two decision victories to move to the finals, Thomas fell in a hard-fought 7-2 decision to Macon Edwards (Castleton). Rinehart fell to Edwards in a 9-4 decision in his first match before picking up two consecutive pin victories. This set him up for a matchup with Alexander Gorlin for third place, which Rinehart won in a 6-3 decision.
Garret Cornell kept the Falcons rolling at 141. After a bye, Cornell picked up a fall before needing a sudden victory to move onto the finals. The finals saw Cornell withdraw with a medical forfeit, finishing him at second for the day.
Dalton Daugherty made it to the final four at 141 before dropping an 11-0 major decision to eventual champion Ryker Eckenbarger.
Nick Nunez and
Jake Coniglio represented the Falcons well in the 149 weight class. Nunez used a pin, a major decision, and a decision victory to advance to the finals. He fell in the finals in a 5-3 decision to Colby Bronzburg (Keystone) to pick up second place for Messiah. After advancing to the final four, Coniglio also lost to Bronzburg before picking up two decision victories to take home third place on the afternoon.
Strong Showings From Edwards and Stevens
Kevin Edwards picked up the second victory for the Falcons at 165. After a bye, he picked up a pin over Patrick Briody (Gettysburg) to advance him to the final four. Here he won with a pin over James Geiger (Keystone) to move onto the finals. In the finals, he took down Ray Martin by a 6-2 decision to take home the title.
Kevin Diehl picked up third place at 174. After a loss in the opening round to Chase Smith (Alvernia), Diehl rebounded with a technical fall win before earning two straight pin wins to move to the his final match against Nolan Smith (Gettysburg). Diehl picked up his third straight pin to gain the victory and earn third place for Messiah.
David Stevens and
Spencer Clements had good showings at 184. Clements advanced to the final four while Stevens won the weight class. Stevens used a bye to advance before earning a major decision and a technical fall to advance to the finals. Here he met Alexander Green (Castleton) where he picked up a 4-0 decision win to account for Messiah's third title of the day.
In the heavyweight class,
Carter Urich wrestled for the Falcons. Urich earned three quick pin victories to advance his way into the finals. Urich fell in the finals to Palmer Rodenhaber (Alvernia), as he picked up a second place finish for Messiah.
What's Up Next
As mentioned, Messiah won the Gettysburg Invitational with 113.5 team points over Gettysburg (79.5) and Alvernia (73.5). This is the Falcons second tournament title in as many weeks as they move onto the Waynesburg Duals next weekend, beginning at 11:00 a.m.
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